


Good and Right

by SloanGreyMercyDeath



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: F/F, NB Emily, from tumblr, they're all in it but it's really about Emily, we need more NB/GNC Emily fic on here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 14:02:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29190492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SloanGreyMercyDeath/pseuds/SloanGreyMercyDeath
Summary: Emily Prentiss is NB and it's good.
Relationships: Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Emily Prentiss
Comments: 10
Kudos: 103





	Good and Right

Emily had been feminine for most of their life. They’d been raised as a good Daughter, and taught to be seen, but not heard. They crafted a personality out of expensive dresses, edgy, but conventional make-up, and feminine wiles. They liked it and they enjoyed dressing up.

It was fun to flirt and get their way because men were overwhelmed by a pretty girl. They liked being a lesbian, dressing sexy, and embarrassing their mother. Dressing up was a lot of work sometimes, but it was fun.

At some point, they realized that was all it was - dressing up. Being a sensual, badass woman was a costume they wore. Some days, it was too much to do it all and they wore sweatpants and baggy t-shirts and hid their body away. A few times, they cut their hair too short and enjoyed the lack of femininity. They always regretted it, though. Emily liked having long hair, just like they enjoyed wearing nail polish and black eyeliner.

Honestly, they thought all women were playing dress-up. Until they learned that women dressed like that because they enjoyed it; it felt  _ right.  _ Emily wasn’t quite sure what felt right for them. They liked a mix of things and they didn’t know what that meant.

It took Emily a while to feel comfortable in their non-gender. They tried being masculine for a while, but that didn’t feel right, so they went back to being feminine and it was easy, but it was also  _ wrong _ . Everything felt wrong, and that helped them figure out they were neither feminine nor masculine, and they needed to start being that mix of neither.

One evening, when they were secure in their place in the BAU, they sat JJ down on the bed. After a few years of dating, Emily knew that their relationship with JJ was strong. They also knew that being a lesbian was important to JJ. How would she react to finding out that she wasn’t dating a woman.

“I need to tell you something,” Emily said, picking at their fingernails. “It’s... Well, it’s not that big of a deal, but it might be a big deal.”

JJ reached out and took Emily’s hands in hers. “Babe, I’m sure I’ll be okay with whatever it is.”

Blinking, Emily nodded. They knew that JJ loved them for everything they were, flaws and idiosyncrasies and all. “I’m not a woman,” Emily told her. “I’m non-binary. I’m not a woman, or a man. I’m just...Emily.”

“Oh,” JJ breathed, eyes filling with tears. “Thank you for trusting me, Emily. I love you more than anything, whatever gender you are. Or aren’t,” she added with a smile.

Just like that, Emily was out to JJ and then to Penelope and then Hotch, and Morgan, and Reid, and Rossi. They stopped wearing dresses and started wearing binders. The team took a group trip to the mall one weekend and Emily bought a new wardrobe. They bought women’s suits, but men’s button downs. They chose a new leather satchel, a chunky watch, and flat boots. Emily kept their hair long, but wore braids and buns at work. They found a way to be themselves somewhere between feminine and masculine and no one minded.

The issue was with local police departments. As a way to support Emily, the team always introduced themselves with their pronouns and made it clear that they were all ‘Agent’ before they were anything else. Most departments got the message and treated Emily well, but sometimes, like now, the local department saw Emily’s pronouns as “big city nonsense” and did their best to ignore them.

It didn’t usually bother Emily to get misgendered by a small town team like this that they’d never see again, but the pointed way the sheriff called them ‘Ma’am’ and ‘Darling’ and ‘Honey’ felt aggressive and rude. If they’d known it would be this way, they would have asked Hotch to let them stay behind at the station, but he didn’t ramp up the disrespect until they were in an SUV with him and his deputy on the way to the crime scene.

“Tell me, Honey, what’s it like in DC?” the sheriff asked them. “I bet a pretty girl like you has guys falling all over them.”

“I’m not a girl,” Emily pointed out.

The sheriff chuckled dryly. “Right, sorry. I bet a  _ woman  _ like you has men falling all over them.”

Emily clenched their jaw, crossing their arms and reminding themselves that this was day one of what was shaping up to be a long case. “I’m in a relationship, actually.”

He looked at them through the rearview mirror, eyebrows raised. “With that Hotch fellow? I thought as much.”

“With Agent Jareau,” they corrected.

“Oh, I see.” He cleared his throat, glancing at his deputy. “Well, we don’t mind that lifestyle out here, don’t you worry. No one is gonna disrespect you two ladies.”

They bit their tongue again, holding back a comment on how he was disrespecting them right now. It wasn’t a good idea to pick a fight and they were almost to the crime scene anyway. The rest of the team was in another SUV, but they’d drawn the short straw and ended up here.

Thankfully, the sheriff was content to drive in silence and they quickly ended up at the crime scene. Emily practically jumped out of the car, hurrying away toward their team. JJ stepped out of the car, frowning when she saw the scowl on their face.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, resting a hand on Emily’s arm. “Are you ok?”

Emily nodded, pointedly not looking at the sheriff. “It’s going to be one of  _ those _ cases,” they answered, rolling their eyes. “I don’t think the sheriff would know what pronouns are if they bit him in the ass. He assured me that the team wasn’t homophobic, though.”

Eyes narrowing, JJ left Emily, walking quickly toward the sheriff. Emily watched from afar as their girlfriend spoke quietly to the sheriff, tension clear in her shoulders. The sheriff paled, eyes flicking toward Emily and away again. He tried to move away, but JJ’s hand shot out to grab his arm and hold him in place.

“JJ reading him the riot act?” Derek asked, appearing beside them. He put his hands on his hips. “I almost pity him.”

“Almost,” Emily chuckled. “And yet...”

“And yet we don’t.” Derek laughed and clapped Emily on the back. “Come on, we’ll leave her to it and go look at the scene, huh?”

Emily nodded and followed him into the house. They were so glad to have someone like JJ on their side, and the rest of the team, too. It would be so easy for their friends to not understand, or not support, but they all love them. As Emily pulled their gloves on, they smiled to themselves, confident in their identity and their relationship. This is what felt good and right.


End file.
